Tuesday, January 24, 2023

 

Tuesday, January 24, 2023


Psalms 56; 57

Genesis 14:(1-7) 8-24

Luke 1:13-25


Observance: Companions of Paul, including Timothy, Titus and Silas


“This is what the Lord has done for me when He looked favourably on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my people.”


One of things that is taught to trainee hospital chaplains is the difference between guilt and shame. Guilt is the sense we feel when we have done something wrong. Shame is the sense that there is something wrong within us. The difference is between an action, causing guilt, and something that defines who we are, that shames us.


Both are awful experiences to have. With guilt, there is at least some sort of cultural belief that it is something which can be atoned for. If one breaks the law, for example, they are found guilty. A punishment is handed down, a sentence served, and the guilty party is afterwards redeemed.


Shame is a more insidious affliction. We might be tempted to look down from our cultural moment at poor Elizabeth, and scoff and sneer at those who had told her that her lack of children meant that something was wrong with her as a person. This response would miss the point. The point is that Elizabeth was experiencing shame. And if we are looking for a lesson that we could apply to our own lives, then responding pastorally to Elizabeth by empathising with how she felt is a very good place to start.


No-one is immune from shame. The enemy throws flamings darts at us, telling us we are unworthy of the precious blood of Jesus, and the devil has found shame to be the spiritual atomic bomb that would turn us from the love of Jesus. We are all guilty of breaking God’s Law, this much is true. But the grace of God in the atonement of Jesus Christ bleeding on the cross has wiped away that guilt, and all the power contained within that guilt, including the shame.


Jesus told Nicodemus that God’s children, that is, those whom He saves, are born again, from above. Paul described it equally poetically when he exclaimed “Look! The old is gone, the new is here!” Our old guilty selves were nailed to the cross with Jesus: they are dead. Our shame has gone down to the grave. We rise, as we did when we emerged from the waters of our baptism, a new creature, utterly immune to the power of guilt and shame. The Lord has looked favourably on us. He has taken away our shame.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Monday, September 12, 2022

  Monday, September 12, 2022 Psalm 33 Habakkuk 1:1-11 Ephesians 1:1-14 In Christ we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us. The lectionary has taken us from the beloved disciple to one of the most beloved of Paul's epistles: Ephesians. Paul must have loved this church very much: we get a sense of his fondness for them and their shared sense of purpose and worship just from the introduction. In what is likely just an introduction to a letter in the style of the ancient Roman world, Paul has managed to squeeze in the entire, wondrous story of God's work of redemption. Paul has framed it the way it ought to be framed: in a pastoral, encouraging tone. He has three main points here (remember, Paul proceeds logically to build up an argument, unlike John who circles around his main point). First: God intended to save us before the world was formed. Think back to the first l
Read more

“Short time or long – I pray to God not only you but all who are listening become like I am, except for these chains.”

  Monday, September 11, 2023 Psalms 28; 29 1 Kings 7:51-8:21 Acts 26:19-32 Observance: Deiniol, bishop (d. 384) “ Short time or long – I pray to God not only you but all who are listening become like I am, except for these chains.” The great many blessings of being under the protection of the blood of the Lamb fill our hearts with joy and peace. To have the Almighty Creator of the universe, the One who sits above the flood, filling the temple of our being with the cloud of His presence is what it truly means to be human. Every day is filled with adventure; every night turns to the rest of the victor. Certainly there are chains: sometimes they are physical chains, the suffering of being a Christian among people who do not love the Lord. Sometimes they are spiritual; the attacks of the powers of the air who try to distract us from the One we love. But they always fall away. Our Rock of Ages always frees us; always brings us out of the pit of despair. A won
Read more

Monday, September 19

  Monday, September 19 Psalm 45 Nahum 1:15-2:9 Ephesians 4:17-28 ...be renewed in the spirit of your minds... It is far too easy to read some of these Pauline lists of virtues and vices and feel like we have gone back to the dark days before the Reformation. The idea that if we behave ourselves then we can call ourselves “good people” is pagan, not Christian. Paul feels very strongly about how Christians behave, he “affirms and insists” upon it. But it is because of what has already happened that we should mind our step, not because of where we are going. Christ's resurrection is many things, but one aspect relevant for Paul's teaching this morning is that it demonstrates to us the radical new reality in which we now live. We too have passed (spiritually) from death to life; therefore, we experience a “renewal of our minds”. Instead of treading water until we die, we live lives. Everything now makes sense: God has spoken, so we have logic. God made us in His im
Read more